HARRISBURG — Several more Republican leaders announced Tuesday that they will go against their political party and support Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the November gubernatorial election.
Seven former GOP officials — including former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and former Allegheny County state Rep. Jim Kelly — said they’ll support Mr. Shapiro, the state’s Democratic nominee, in the 2022 election.
Mr. Chertoff was the second secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush. Mr. Kelly was a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House who represented parts of Allegheny County in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Each of these former GOP officials is bucking their party’s candidate, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin. Mr. Mastriano has been criticized for his acceptance of extreme groups, including his campaign’s payment to social media site Gab, which is a known outlet for white nationalists and was used by the man charged with killing 11 practicing Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 — the most deadly antisemitic attack on U.S. soil.
“I dedicated my career in public service to upholding the rule of law and defending the Constitution,” Mr. Chertoff said in a statement. “Right now, we all have a responsibility to support candidates of whichever party who will stand up and defend our democracy. Although I am a long-standing Republican, I am deeply troubled by Doug Mastriano’s embrace of dangerous extremism.”
“Josh Shapiro, on the other hand, is a staunch defender of our democratic institutions and will lead Pennsylvania with honor and integrity,” Mr. Chertoff added.
Other endorsers include former GOP state Reps. Mario Civera (Delaware County), David Heckler (Bucks County), Raymond Bunt Jr. (Montgomery County), Beverly Mackereth (York County) and J. Scot Chadwick (Bradford County).
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Republicans are trying to tie Mr. Shapiro to Gov. Tom Wolf and President Joe Biden. In Mr. Wolf’s case, they’re trying to draw a parallel with Mr. Shapiro’s inaction during Mr. Wolf’s aggressive COVID-19 lockdowns; in Mr. Biden’s case, to connect Mr. Shapiro to an unpopular president with struggling approval ratings.
Former President Donald Trump will campaign in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday for Mr. Mastriano and U.S. Senate nominee Mehmet Oz.
Last month, Mr. Shapiro rolled out 10 other Republican endorsements from longtime fixtures of the GOP establishment, including former U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent and Jim Greenwood, former state House Speaker Denny O’Brien, former Lt. Gov. Robert Jubelirer and former state Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman.
Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, told the Post-Gazette last month after the first round of Mr. Shapiro’s GOP endorsements that it’s hard to break ranks in this era of hyper-partisanship. What’s more: it’s rare that any Republicans deviate from Mr. Trump, and it’s even more rare for GOP officials to come out publicly in support of the opposing candidate.
But endorsements don’t matter much, Mr. Borick said last month — though they’ll serve as evidence against Mr. Mastriano as voters start to make up their minds ahead of the November election.
“For most Republicans, they accept Mastriano as their nominee and most likely will vote for him,” Mr. Borick said last month, “but on the margins — and the margins are going to be very important — I think the endorsements will help Shapiro’s case in key areas.”
As part of his announcement Tuesday, Mr. Shapiro said he was proud to receive the endorsements from former GOP leaders “who are putting our Commonwealth ahead of partisan politics.”
“I have always worked to bring Republicans and Democrats together — and that’s exactly what I will continue to do in this campaign and as governor,” Mr. Shapiro added.
Gillian McGoldrick: gmcgoldrick@post-gazette.com; Twitter: @gill_mcgoldrick. Staff writer Julian Routh contributed.
First Published: August 30, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: August 30, 2022, 10:19 a.m.
